There was more magic to come from the New Jersey Devils center, putting his skills on full display during a 50-second span in the first period of a 3-0 win at Prudential Center on Tuesday.
Hughes maneuvered in tight space, delivered tape-to-tape passes, shot off a move, retrieved the puck, moved back to an open spot, and did it all over again. Ultimately, the puck was on and off Hughes’ stick five times in those 50 seconds before he knifed down the middle, curled into the right face-off circle, and sent a cross-ice pass to the defenseman. Dougie Hamiltonwho finished the one-timer to put the Devils ahead 1-0.
It was the perfect snapshot of what we already knew the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft could do.
“There’s pressure coming into the NHL being a first overall pick, kind of feeling out the League, the way you’re supposed to play, how you can be successful,” said the Blackhawks forward. Patrick Kane, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. “Once you realize what you can do to be successful, that you can take over a shift or a game, then you want to keep doing it.”
Video: CHI@NJD: Hamilton caps off Hughes’ brilliant play
Hughes, who leads the Devils with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 27 games, will enter their game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday (7 pm ET; NHLN, MSG, MSGSN, SN NOW) on a seven-game point streak (seven goals, five assists).
New Jersey is first in the Metropolitan Division with 21 wins and 43 points in 27 games. It had 27 wins and 63 points in 82 games last season.
Hughes’ progress is a continuation of what he did last season, when the 21-year-old had 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) despite injuries that limited him to 49 games.
“I’m supposed to be doing this for a lot more years too, so hopefully it’s a progression that keeps on getting better,” Hughes said. “Everyone has their role, and that’s my role. I’m really lucky with where I’m at, and obviously the team is doing really well this year too. It’s been good and a really fun year.”
How could it be anything but fun when you’re able to do the things Hughes can do and your team is winning the way the Devils are?
“I always knew it was going to happen; I always believed in myself,” Hughes said. “It was just a matter of when, really. I’m still young. I’m still only 21. I think people forget that. For me, it’s getting better every year, the passion keeps getting bigger, the hunger keeps getting bigger. . It was going to come at some point. Last year it came, and I want to keep it going.”
It’s easy to say Hughes was building towards his breakout last season. It’s also easy to say what he said himself, that he’s expected to produce the way he is.
When they drafted Hughes, the Devils expected him to be their leading scorer for years, to be their version of Kane, albeit at center instead of right wing.
But to get to this point in his fourth season, Hughes had to go through growing pains, such as learning the game at the NHL level, figuring out how to be elusive with the puck, because at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, he’s often one of the smallest players on the ice.
Before he could even get going last season, Hughes dislocated his left shoulder in the Devils’ second game after he was upended along the boards by a Kraken defenseman. Adam Larssonwho has 4 inches and 34 pounds on him.
Hughes missed 17 games.
“You learn to adapt, and that’s what he did,” Devils forward Jesper Bratt said. “He found ways to play to his strength, and he doesn’t really put himself in situations that make him vulnerable. He knows how to keep his feet moving and stay away from those areas. He’s a smart guy.”
New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said the maturation in Hughes’ game is noticeable away from the puck.
“The growth of his game has come that when you’re up by one he’s getting plenty of ice time,” Ruff said.
Hughes has Ruff’s trust to be on the ice in those situations because he’s coupled his production with a focus on what’s needed to be a 200-foot player. That includes his play away from the puck, understanding the right spots to be in, how to support the play while staying underneath the puck to be in a good defensive position, and being in shooting lanes to discourage shots instead of having to lay out and Block them.
“All those small details become a big thing when you’re dealing with the last 30-40 seconds in the game,” Ruff said.
They’re part of the reason why Hughes is getting praise around the NHL.
“He’s someone who looks like he’s taken a step,” Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid said.
Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said, “He’s definitely grown into some man strength in the game.”
Kane referenced Hughes’ backchecking, his sneaky ability to lift a stick and steal the puck to go the other way, a move the Blackhawks forward learned from playing with Marian Hossa and against Pavel Datsyuk.
“I don’t know where he learned it from, but it’s definitely a big part of his game,” Kane said.
It comes with a higher level of work ethic to win the puck back, another part of Hughes’ game that has been building over the years.
Devils defenseman Brendan Smith said it reminds him of how other elite centers like Austin Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers have evolved to become complete 200-foot players.
“I see that level, playing a little harder to get the puck, and then you have it and you don’t give it away,” Smith said. “They’re not the same players, but it’s the same principles.”
Hughes is, however, quite similar to Kane, which the Blackhawks found out in the first period on Tuesday.
“They’re very creative, they love to hold onto the puck, they want the puck all the time, and they’re looking to get open,” Richardson said. “He’s got a little ways to go before catching Patrick.”
He’s getting closer.
“I think he does a lot of things better than I ever did,” Kane said.
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